Children's Home run by Lancashire County Council in Lancashire

Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035428 1 SC035428 Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

This home provides short-stay and emergency placements for children who are experiencing difficult periods in their lives. In many cases, children have complex needs and have experienced multiple placement breakdowns prior to coming to the home.

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This monitoring visit

A full inspection of the home was carried out on 17 August 2021. During this inspection, significant concerns were identified in relation to the leadership and management of the home, placement matching and safeguarding practice. Compliance notices and a restriction of accommodation notice were issued as a result of the inspection. Inspectors carried out this monitoring visit on 19 October 2021 and found that the compliance notices had not been met. Since the last inspection, both children have left the home. The provider has adhered to the restriction of accommodation notice and no children have been admitted to the home during this period.

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This monitoring visit

Children’s risk assessments still contain contradictory information around their needs. For example, risk assessments do not always contain accurate information about the required staffing levels for children.

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This monitoring visit

In the period since the full inspection before the children moved out, strategies within children’s risk management plans were not consistently followed. Inspectors found that staff were not adhering to children’s risk assessments in relation to staffing levels or when children were missing from home. In one instance, the correct staffing levels for a child were not adhered to, leaving the child and member of staff at risk. The internal investigation regarding this issue remains ongoing. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035428 2 The new manager has, however, completed some positive consultation work with parents to gain their views around the risks for their children. This has not only been helpful in ensuring that risk assessments are accurate, but it has also helped to develop relationships with parents.

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This monitoring visit

The new manager has started work since the last inspection, but has not yet been able to meet with all the staff as a team, to gain an understanding of their development needs or reflect on the shortfalls that have led to the ongoing enforcement work at the home. Team-building is an area that requires further development prior to the admission of children. In addition, of the 11 staff identified to work at the home, only four have a recognised childcare qualification. The responsible individual for the home is in the process of reviewing this, to ensure that there are adequate numbers of suitably qualified and experienced staff working at the home.

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This monitoring visit

Internal monitoring of the home is not yet effective. The new manager has started to review documents and has considered some patterns and trends in relation to previous placements that were made at the home, but this is an area of work that requires further development.

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This monitoring visit

In some instances, records were difficult to find, with little evidence of any direct work that has been completed with children.

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This monitoring visit

Transition arrangements for the children who left the home were poor. Transition plans for children could not be evidenced. One child who was told he was being moved that day, went missing from home when he was told about the plans for his move. This was not a positive ending to his stay at this home and or a positive start to his new placement.

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This monitoring visit

It is, however, positive that the authority has decided to reduce the number of registered beds to one. This will be helpful for staff to have a better focus on the needs of the child in placement and to complete more focused areas of work in the short period of time that children stay at this home. Ofsted has been notified of all serious incidents at the home since the last inspection.

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This monitoring visit

As a result of the inspectors’ findings, the three compliance notices have not been met. Three further notices have been issued, under regulations 12, 13 and 14, and the restriction of accommodation notice remains in place. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035428 3

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Inspection date Inspection type Inspection judgement

17/08/2021 Full Inadequate 22/06/2021 Full Inadequate 21/05/2019 Full Requires improvement to be good 18/09/2018 Full Good Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035428 4

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

*The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are designed, furnished and maintained so as to protect each child from avoidable hazards to the child’s health. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(d)) 10 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

*The leadership and management standard is that the registered person enables, inspires and leads a culture in relation to the children’s home that—

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Requirement Due date

helps children aspire to fulfil their potential; and

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to—

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Requirement Due date

ensure that the home has sufficient staff to provide care for each child;

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Requirement Due date

use monitoring and review systems to make continuous improvements in the quality of care provided in the home. (Regulation 13 (1)(a)(b) (2)(d)(h)) 10 November 2021 Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035428 5 *The care planning standard is that children—

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Requirement Due date

have a positive experience of arriving at or moving on from the home.

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Requirement Due date

In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that children are admitted to the home only if their needs are within the range of needs of children for whom it is intended that the home is to provide care and accommodation, as set out in the home’s statement of purpose. (Regulation 14 (1)(b) (2)(a)) 10 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must maintain records ("case records") for each child which—

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Requirement Due date

are signed and dated by the author of each entry. (Regulation 36 (1)(b)(c)) 10 November 2021

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Requirement Due date

*These requirements are subject to a compliance notice.

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Information about this inspection

The purpose of this visit was to monitor the action taken and the progress made by the children’s home since its last Ofsted inspection.

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Information about this inspection

This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000. Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035428 6

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Lancashire County Council

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: PO Box 78, County Hall, Fishergate, Preston PR1 8XJ

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Inspectors

Julia Toller, Regulatory Inspection Manager Emma Thornton Social Care Inspector Inspection report for children's home - monitoring visit: SC035428 7 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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Inspectors

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